LaFleur Leadership Tip of the Day: The Millionaire Janitor You probably don’t know who Ronald Read was, but in a little town in Vermont, he’s considered a local hero. An extremely quiet man, Ronald worked at a gas station for 25 years then spent another 17 years as a janitor at a local clothing store. He shocked his community when, at his death at age 92, he donated more than $1 million to the local library and almost $5 million to the local hospital. Despite making blue-collar wages his entire life, he had managed to save and invest enough to amass a whopping $8 million before he died! Up to that point, nobody ever suspected that he was a millionaire. The locals said he always wore old flannel shirts and spent his free time collecting fallen branches for his wood stove. He splurged by buying breakfast at the local coffee shop. The only hint of his wealth was his affinity for The Wall Street Journal. Why do I tell you this story? Because it proves that becoming wealthy isn’t just for people who make six-figure salaries. Saving and investing isn’t a rich person thing. It’s a smart person thing. And smart people (like Ronald Read) get the most information possible. They try to learn as much as they can so they can make the best decisions possible. You can get there too.